Pensacola, FL: “Playing House” & Whispering Waves

After a crazy month in Florida, we finally started making our way west. We took a pit stop in Pensacola, where my uncle owns twenty acres that he uses for hunting and recreation. Guillaume and I used it for parking, and, for the first time, we got a taste of what it would feel like to park on private land.

THGJ parked on my uncle’s property in Pensacola

Salies was immediately in love with the property. In the morning, we’d wake up and let her out. Most days she wouldn’t come back inside until the sunset. Never needing a leash, she was free to roam. When Guillaume and I would run around the property, she’d skip next to us. Only leaving us to chase an unsuspecting squirrel.

The property had electricity and a fire pit, which we used daily. For water we simply filled our 40 gallon fresh water tank and took quick showers (or drove a half mile to my uncle’s house). All and all, it was a functional setup. By the end of our week long stay, we had decided to purchase some land of our own one day.

The silent beach – Pensacola

Aside from “playing house” on my uncle’s acreage, Guillaume and I explored Pensacola beach one afternoon. The sand was white and clean. The water was clear and turquoise. The surf was gentle, so the beach was almost completely silent. Whispering, the waves sang their tidal song.

I could have sat there for hours with a book and an iced tea.

Back on the property, we spent our evenings catching up with family. My uncle smoked ribs one night and hosted a fish fry another! We roasted s’mores and told stories over the campfire.

One afternoon, Guillaume decided it was time for some home improvement. He added a few extra compartments to our storage staircase (something we’ve been meaning to do for awhile).

For the cabinets you see above, Guillaume was able to salvage the hinges from an old decaying house on my uncle’s property. He simply took apart the crates and created doors with the pieces. I had a few baskets laying around that fit perfectly in the lower crate. Boom! Just like that, EXTRA STORAGE! Now.. what am I going to use it for?

Thank yall for what yall are doing. We know how scary it can be to make that leap into a different life. We’re on our journey to figuring out what the heck we wanna do in this world and there’s certainly no blueprint. Reading your journal encourages us to keep going. I’m sure it also inspires others to follow their adventure and it gives everyone a chance to wake up to a whole new way of life they may not have knownhow to make possible for themselves.
Thank you

A friend passed along your blog, and I’m glad she did. I’m intrigued by how people are managing to live in these tiny houses. Do you stay only in warm climates? We’re up in the very cold, very snowy north. 🙂

You, Guilluame and Salies are welcome anytime! It was awesome seeing you and we all enjoyed your stay! We are looking forward to seeing you again soon! The pictures are awesome!! Makes me realize how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful area! I am still working on ‘working off’ the Smores!!!! Lol! Take care and safe travels!! Talk with you soon!
Aunt Julie and Uncle Mark